Now more than ever, positivity online is both welcomed and necessary. Using social media is not only essential for marketing your brand, but it’s also a great way for you to uplift your audience. The best part? You can do both at the same time.

There are many ways you can utilise social media to centre your marketing around positivity. You can use it to share happy news, highlight your brand’s charitable causes, or be a source of comforting and useful information. Focusing on positivity across your social platforms is an effective way to strengthen your audience engagement, increase your brand awareness and enhance your image. Customers don’t just value excellent goods and services, they also favour brands they feel care about them, are trustworthy and make them feel happy.

Wondering how you can both market your brand and spark some joy? Read on to discover four ways you can spread positivity on social media.

4 ways you can spread positivity

Find ways to give back

While the last few months have presented challenges, they have also brought out the best in people. Many businesses have displayed incredible altruism and generosity, benefitting both their communities and their brand. Today, audiences are increasingly paying attention to which brands are using their time and resources to give back. This is especially true of younger audiences, as Forbes notes that “shoppers under the age of 40 prefer to give back through where they shop.” Being charitable is not only important to help your community, it’s also a great way to increase brand loyalty.

Look for ways your business can contribute in a meaningful way to your community. This can be through donations to charities, providing free goods and services to local people in need, or joining a fundraising team with your workplace. This month, many businesses have joined Steptember, an amazing fundraiser for people living with cerebral palsy. Virtual events like that are the perfect way to engage your audience and share your charitable activities online. While you’re participating, make sure to post photos, videos, and detailed information about how you’re helping out. Not only will you highlight your brand’s ethics, but you’ll also provide your audience with some positive content.

Focus on positive news

With so much news to follow these days, sharing positive stories on your social platforms is a terrific way to position your brand as a source of comfort and optimism for your audience.

Your stories can be about your own great charitable causes or exciting new initiatives, or uplifting news coming out of your industry. You can also share positive comments from your audience or highlight a member of your community who has performed a good deed. Positive news also doesn’t need to be brand specific. Sometimes, you can simply share a happy story that’s popped up in the news to your Twitter or Instagram stories. News that sparks joy is always welcome. Not only can it increase your engagement with your audience, but it can also grow your brand awareness as it is likely to be shared widely.

Engage positively with your audience

Social media is often your audience’s most direct line of contact with your brand. So, when engaging with comments and messages across your social platforms, it’s important to ensure that every interaction is a positive one.

If a customer leaves a happy comment, make sure to reply with a sincere thank you to show that you value their support and engagement. If a customer has a complaint, try to be as understanding and accommodating as possible, to demonstrate that you’re committed to meeting their needs. In their 2017 State of Global Customer Service Report State of Global Customer Service Report, Microsoft found that 66% of people aged 18-54 had a more favourable view of brands if they responded to customer requests on social media. It’s also important to respond privately to DMs and Instagram Story responses from customers. They’re an easy way to communicate directly and deepen your connection with your audience. It demonstrates that you’re always available to listen to and engage with them. When your audience has a positive experience with you on social media, both publicly and privately, you maintain a great relationship with them and enhance your brand’s image.

Provide comfort and certainty

It’s understandable that sometimes your audience may be feeling a bit confused by current events and how they might affect your brand. When posting on social media, it’s important that you try to be as clear and transparent as possible, while also appearing caring and considerate.

Utilise your social media to update your audience about any important changes you might be making and emphasise that you’re always there to help. This will show that you’re thinking about them and reassure them that they can trust your brand. Many customers may have the same queries or concerns, so you can use your social platforms to direct them to an FAQ section on your website, which will help streamline customer care. For customers who favour Instagram, you can create a Stories Highlight with answers to common questions. Audiences appreciate seeing brands make the effort to keep them updated and will favour brands they feel are honest.

Consider these great ways you can spread positivity across your social media. By implementing these ideas, you’ll be able to boost your brand and be a source of happiness for your audience. Want more advice on how to share joy across your socials? Feel free to get in touch anytime. Coffee is on us!